Noles in Cheez-It Bowl; Gators heading to Las Vegas
Florida State looks to cap off a bounce-back season with a possible 10th win when the Seminoles travel to Orlando to take on Oklahoma in the Cheez-It Bowl.
FSU has previously appeared in five bowl games in Central Florida, first in the Citrus Bowl (1977, 1984) and then in the Blockbuster (1990) and Champs Bowl (2008, 2011). The Seminoles
(9-3, 5-3 ACC) also kicked off their 2016 season at Camping World Stadium against Ole Miss and are scheduled to face LSU on Sept. 3, 2023.
This is Oklahoma’s third trip to the area, having previously participated in the Citrus Bowl (1998) and the Russell Athletics Bowl (2014).
The Sooners (6-6, 3-6 Big 12) are looking to wrap up their first season under coach Brent Venables. It’s also a homecoming for quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who spent three seasons at UCF before transferring to OU in the offseason.
The game kicks off on Dec. 29 at 5:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN.
GATORS TO VEGAS
Florida is bound for the Las Vegas Bowl where the Gators will face Oregon State on Dec. 17 in Allegiant Stadium during the first meeting between the programs.
Coach Billy Napier’s team has lost two straight games after securing a postseason bid with a
38-6 win Nov. 12 against South Carolina in the Swamp.
Surprising Oregon State (9-3) has won three in a row including a seasonending 38-34 upset of rival Oregon.
Who plays for the Gators (6-6) is unclear. Fifteen scholarship players have either announced intent to leave the program or been dismissed.
Veteran linebacker Ventrell Miller hinted after a 45-38 loss Nov. 25 at Florida State he might not play in a bowl game. The 23-year-old was invited last week to January’s Senior Bowl, one of the premiere showcase events for NFL draft prospect.
Quarterback Anthony Richardson could leave early and join Miller in the draft. Richardson, 20 and a redshirt sophomore, is considered a possible first-round pick but also ended the regular season just 9-of-27 passing against FSU.
ESPN’s Chris Mortensen said Sunday of Richardson, “Most people I talk to love what they see but think he should spend another year in school.”
If Richardson leaves, the Gators have limited options at quarterback.
Ohio State transfer Jack Miller II did not play after breaking his thumb in
August during preseason practices. Expected back in September, Miller has recovered more slowly than anticipated.
Redshirt freshman Jalen Kitna served as Richardson’s backup, including after his helmet came off against FSU. Kitna, though, was arrested last Wednesdayon charges related to child pornography. A day after he was released from jail Thursday on an $80,000 bond, the 19-year-old was dismissed from the team.
Redshirt sophomore Kyle Engel of Fort Lauderdale appeared against South Carolina and has yet to throw a college pass.
UCF IN MILITARY
Following a loss at Tulane in the AAC championship
on Saturday,
UCF coach Gus Malzahn stressed the importance of the Knights’ opportunity to earn the team’s 10th win of the season in a bowl game.
“What’s next is a bowl game and we need to win a bowl game to get some momentum for next year,” Malzahn said after his team fell 45-28 against the Green Wave in New Orleans.
On Sunday, Malzahn and the Knights found out who and where they’ll be playing in their bowl game. UCF (9-4) accepted an invitation to play in the Military Bowl against Duke (8-4) at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland on Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. the school announced.
It marks the seventh straight year UCF plays in a postseason bowl game, which extends a program record.
“Bowl games are very important,” Malzahn said. “Just like it was last year. We’ll put everything we can into getting a bowl victory.”
The matchup with Duke will be UCF’s first time meeting the Blue Devils on the football field. It’s also the first time UCF has played in the Military Bowl.
The bowl has featured an ACC-vs.-AAC matchup since 2014, and those leagues have contracted to continue that matchup through 2025. Previous AAC winners have been Navy in 2015 and 2017 and Cincinnati in 2018.
UCF played in the Cure Bowl in 2016, the Peach Bowl in 2017, the Fiesta Bowl in 2018, the Gasparilla Bowl in 2019, the Boca Raton Bowl in 2020 and the Gasparilla again last year.
This year’s bowl appearance will be UCF’s 10th in the last 11 seasons and the Knights’ 14th in the past 18 years.
“You look at last year and we won a big bowl game and this year we made it to the conference championship,” Malzahn said. “We’re going in the right direction as a program.”